Ahhh, the holiday season!

‘Tis the season for gatherings, laughter, lights, and that so very special holiday spirit! They call it “the most wonderful time of the year”.  But… Let’s be real here… Also the most stressful, worrisome, and exhausting time of the year as well.

With endless cooking, shopping, hosting, social functions, unrealistic expectations, comparing ourselves with the Jones, and watching the credit card balance mounting seemingly out of nowhere- the stress, overwhelm and “holiday blues” can sneak up on you fast.

Here are 7 very effective and unexpected holiday self-care ideas to help you have the best, most stress-free holiday season yet!

Let me say this upfront. The holiday season is absolutely wonderful, but for a lot of people out there it brings a whole bucket of mixed emotions: memories, grief, joy, all of the things….

Holiday blues is a real thing. Holiday exhaustion is a real thing. Holiday letdowns…you guessed it, are a real thing too. So, go nice and easy.  Give yourself and your plans some flexibility, gentleness, depending on what feels right to you at any given moment of the day.  

So…It’s okay to treat every day of this holiday season as any other random and uneventful Tuesday and then be super very happy when the season is finally over. It’s also okay to have your car wear antlers and blast Christmas music all the way into March.

I personally deeply enjoyed and participated in both of these scenarios before. Bottom line, give yourself some room to do what feels right, from one moment to the next. Prioritize yourself. Be gentle. Do YOU.

Holidays look magical on TV and social media, don't they? I mean, the colors, the lights, the music, the gifts, the endless falling in love with a prince on Netflix, the perpetual bliss and happiness. We want that! Bad! 

Sometimes I think we as human species just spend hours online searching for that perfect gift or irresistible holiday dress, because we subconsciously are buying our way into that perfect holiday fantasy that does not exist... That is an incredible amount of expectations and an even bigger letdown on the other side. 

Buddhist wisdom says that attachment to expectations is a cause of deep suffering. Yes, agreed. So, how about mindful appreciation and gratitude for our holiday experiences? All of them. And trying to be present with our friends, family, snow, Christmas trees,  lights, and moments and glimpses of joy and contentment that comes along. 

During the holidays, ask yourself what's most important to you. What do YOU want your plans to be? Do YOU want to give and receive gifts or not? What would be a non-negotiable spending limit for each gift you buy should you choose to engage in gift giving?

By the way, it’s totally okay if you don’t. We don’t give gifts in our family, mostly because we are all super picky and don’t like clutter and “stuff” we don’t need.

With whom do YOU want to interact? How would you like to feel? You may maintain focus on what matters most and have the most fulfilling holiday experience by being clear about your priorities and goals.

We all want to show our loved ones how much we care, but holiday buying shouldn't put our financial stability in danger.

According to holiday reasearch over the years, a significant portion of the population has been incurring more and more debt in order to spread holiday cheer, which can be very harmful to people's mental and physical wellbeing. 

So be honest with yourself about how much you can afford to spend on your loved ones, make a budget and commit to it.

Also, keep in mind that people's opinions of you or your own opinions of you are NOT tied to the price tag of a gift. You have amazing inherent worth as a human being. I know, it's definitely hard to believe at times, but it's true nevertheless.

In case you’ve been wondering about this, here is my two cents. So, I already said that we are not big fans of “stuff” giving in my family. We do believe in having holiday experiences, creating new holiday traditions, donating to causes, volunteering. I feel like these could be amazing bonding, relationship nurturing, and learning experiences.

We live in Clearwater, Florida so experiences during the holidays are plentiful and the weather is generally warm. Last Thanksgiving we went on a big fishing boat in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico for half day trying to catch some fishes. It was my first-time fishing and although it’s an activity outside of my regular interests, I had a blast, caught some fish, and made it for our Thanksgiving dinner! I felt like a warrior and a huntress all at the same time! That was an amazing holiday gift!

I know that “No” is a complete sentence. I know that I don’t owe anyone anything. I know don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do. But it’s so much easier said than done, is not it? Holidays are a perfect time to hone your boundaries skills. There is so much stuff to do, people to see, parties to attend, obligations to fulfill, annoying family members to avoid. You know, all of the things!

Protect your time, decline invitations that don’t bring you joy, give yourself room to breathe, and don’t be afraid to ask for help from friends and family members if necessary. Healthy limits on your time, space, and company is crucial for not only our physical and mental health, but for our sense of self-esteem and self-love as well. And it is essential to give us time to do the things we really enjoy. 

Taking about having time to do the things we enjoy, since it is the most wonderful time of year, the magic is in the air, and you may even kiss Santa tonight:D…Why not play more? Really play, be child-like. Build a snowman, sing Christmas songs off key, get into a snowball fight, take real advantage of your time off, just doing nothing, take a bubble bath, light a candle, turn off your phone and play card games with your family, lovingly chase your human and fur babies to their endless delight, be present, get grateful, and start feeling like indeed, this could be your best holiday season yet!

And there you have it, 7 self-care ideas for this holiday season. If you want more ideas for your self-care toolbelt, please check out the Self-Care Wheel, a comprehensive six-dimensional wellbeing tool, featuring 88 self-care activities. The Self-Care Wheel and its two trusted companions, the Self-Care Wheel Assessment, and the Create-Your-Own Self-Care Wheel tools provide a wealth of new ideas and open up an engaging space for self-discovery, evaluation, and reflection.

They seamlessly work together to help us create a personalized and sustainable self-care practice and a happier and healthier life! Please visit the Self-Care Wheel page to learn more about these #1 Rated Self-Care Tools in the World, and to download your free copy for your personal use! It might just change your life!

Thank you so much for reading! If you resonated with anything here, please share this blog and the Self-Care Wheel tools with your friends and family. We all need some extra loving kindness and care this holiday season!

In deepest gratitude for all you are and all you do,

Olga